Born-again solar cells are more efficient

FOR better solar cells, look no further than the
regeneration skills of plants.

Plants counteract the damaging effects of the sun
by constantly rebuilding their
photosynthetic parts. To mimic this, a team led by Michael Strano at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology created a
solar cell using light-harvesting proteins, lipids and carbon
nanotubes. These stick together and the nanotubes channel electrons
generated by the proteins to an external circuit.

When a surfactant is added, these components
break apart, reassembling only once it is removed. By repeating
this process every 32 hours, the team found that after a week, the
solar cell was 300 per cent more efficient than one that wasn't
regenerated (Nature Chemistry, DOI:
10.1038/nchem.822).